Waves Earn Split on Day One of 2013 NorCal Tournament
Pepperdine kicked off the 2013 NorCal Tournament with a split on day one at Diablo Valley College. The Waves (3-2) opened the day with a 8-6 upset victory against No. 7 UC Irvine, before falling to No. 1 USC in the afternoon session.

MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine heads down the coast this weekend where they will compete in the SoCal Tournament hosted by UC Irvine. The Waves will play four games over the weekend with their first match slated against the hosts at 9:25 Saturday morning. Pepperdine will compete in Bracket A with No. 1 UCLA, No. 9 UC Irvine and Pomona-Pitzer. Follow all the subsequent matches from this weekend’s action on Twitter @PeppWaterPolo.

RANKINGS — After defeating No. 11 Concordia 12-11 in the title match of the Pepperdine Invitational, the Waves remained at No. 8 in this week’s Collegiate Water Polo Association poll.

LAST WEEK — Pepperdine went 2-0 last weekend during the Pepperdine Invitational. The Waves defeated Long Beach City 11-5 in an exhibition match at the newly renovated Raleigh Runnels Pool. In the championship match junior ATK Marko Madaras led the way with a season high five goals for the home team, while All-American goalie Bence Valics had 15 saves as the Waves defeated No. 11 Concordia 12-11.

UP NEXT — Pepperdine opens the demanding Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) slate when it welcomes UC Santa Barbara to Malibu Saturday, October 19. Match time against the Gauchos is set for 12:00 p.m. at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool in a contest featuring a live video broadcast on PepperdineSports.com via WaveCasts.

WAVE NOTABLES — Sophomore UTL Luke Hewkoenters the sixth week of the 2013 regular season as Pepperdine’s leading scorer with 24 goals, while senior ATK Danny Whiteand Marko Madaras are tied for second with 14 goals. Hewko ranks ninth (2.67) among MPSF scoring leaders. Senior All-American goalkeeper Bence Valicshas appeared in every match this season and has collected 81 saves. Valics ranks seventh among MPSF leaders in saves per game (9.00).

HOME POOL ADVANTAGE — In its first 38 years of existence, Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool has hosted many Pepperdine victories. The Waves enter the 2013 season 268-106 all-time at home, boasting a win percentage of .717. The Waves have posted a winning record at home in 30 of 38 seasons.

RALEIGH RUNNELS POOL RENOVATED — Pepperdine’s Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool underwent a massive renovation project during the spring and summer of 2013 which will ensure the host site for water polo in the 1984 Olympics will flourish in its fourth decade of service. A brand new video scoreboard was also installed and made its debut at the Pepperdine Invitational on October 5.

WAVES BROADCAST IN CYBERSPACE — All of Pepperdine’s home matches during the 2013 regular season will include live streaming video via WaveCasts on PepperdineSports.com. Live twitter updates will be posted for all home matches @PeppWaterPolo.

HE’S A LEGACY — Redshirt sophomore Luke Hewko is continuing a family tradition at Pepperdine. Hewko leads the Waves in scoring and is the brother of former Pepperdine two-time All-American Adam Hewko (2004-08), who rates seventh in career scoring (218).COACH SCHROEDER — Water polo icon Terry Schroeder returned this season for his second tour of duty as the men’s water polo head coach. In his first stint with Pepperdine (1986-2005) he amassed 340 wins and a national championship in 1997. The head coach for USA Water Polo at the last two Olympics, Schroeder has been inducted into the Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame (2013), International Swimming Hall of Fame (2005), U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame (1998) and the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame (1985).

COACH MOSES — Two-time U.S. Olympian (2008, 2012) and former Pepperdine All-American Merrill Moses returns for the 2013 season as an assistant after serving as an interim co-head coach in 2012. A 2013 inductee into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame, Moses led the United States to a gold medal at the 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games. Moses also led the Waves to the 1997 national championship where they captured their first title.

PEPPERDINE WATER POLO HISTORY — Since 1990, only five different universities have won an NCAA water polo title: four football schools and Pepperdine. The Waves claimed their first NCAA title by beating USC in the final in 1997. Heading into 2013, the Waves had posted winning records in 28 of 38 seasons and had an all-time record of 693-439-8 (.609).

ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men’s sports – one of just 16 schools to have accomplished this feat – and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment and is the only school not affiliated with a BCS-level conference. The Waves have earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that’s given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation’s most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #57 overall on U.S. News and World Report’s list of America’s best colleges.